2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plochocki
A Polish habitational surname derived from a placename.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Plochocki. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plochocki surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Plochocki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plochocki
The surname Plochocki originates from Poland and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the old Polish word "płocha," which means "scare" or "frighten," suggesting that the name may have originally been given to someone with a rowdy or mischievous nature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Polish historical documents, including parish records and land registers. One notable mention is in the Tarnow Land Records from the late 15th century, where a certain Stanislaw Plochocki is listed as a landowner.
Plochocki was also a relatively common surname among the Polish nobility and gentry. In the 16th century, a prominent family of the name owned lands in the village of Plochocin, which may have contributed to the name's spelling and pronunciation.
One of the most famous bearers of the Plochocki name was Jerzy Plochocki (1625-1678), a Polish military leader who served as a general in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Deluge, a series of wars against Sweden, Russia, and the Cossacks. He is remembered for his victories at the battles of Polonka and Chudnov.
Another notable figure was Stanislaw Plochocki (1789-1855), a Polish writer and journalist who actively participated in the November Uprising against Russian rule in 1830-1831. He was forced into exile after the uprising's failure but continued to write and advocate for Polish independence.
In the 20th century, Józef Plochocki (1908-1996) was a Polish engineer and inventor who developed the first successful coal gasification process, which allowed for the production of synthetic gasoline from coal. His work was instrumental in helping Poland achieve energy independence during World War II and the postwar period.
Henryk Plochocki (1925-2006) was a distinguished Polish actor and director who appeared in numerous films and theater productions throughout his career. He was particularly renowned for his roles in adaptations of classic Polish literature, such as Adam Mickiewicz's "Pan Tadeusz."
While the Plochocki name has its roots in Poland, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the Polish lands and its earliest recorded instances in the 15th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plochocki
Among Census respondents with the surname Plochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Plochocki bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Plochocki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plochocki
Plochocki appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,418 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-14 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,418 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 9,804 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Plochocki surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #156,005 | -6.7% |
| Count | 113 | 99 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plochocki bearers went from 113 to 99 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 9,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,005.
FAQ
Plochocki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plochocki?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Plochocki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Plochocki?
Plochocki ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Plochocki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Plochocki.
Has Plochocki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plochocki went from 113 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Plochocki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Plochocki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plochocki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Plochocki (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Plochocki mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from a placename. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Plochocki (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Plochocki?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.